Policy engagement
Chemical Engineering Matters
IChemE’s technical roadmap, Chemical Engineering Matters, was reviewed and updated in 2022, its first update since 2016. The document provides a framework for society and stakeholders to explore how chemical engineers are central to addressing our global challenges, and identifies four key areas where our profession can create, maintain and improve quality of life, now and in the future: water, energy, food, and wellbeing.
Chemical Engineering Matters reflects on the diverse perspectives of IChemE’s international membership, placing particular emphasis on areas where chemical engineering has a significant global impact.
The report identified a series of strategic challenges, highlighting current capabilities and developments, as well as future priorities, needs and opportunities.
In the development of Chemical Engineering Matters, 60 member groups provided written input during the consultation process.
Policy
Policy consultations are one method IChemE can use to ensure that chemical engineers' voices are heard by government. In 2022, IChemE contributed to six published pieces of policy work, covering consultation responses and technical policy reports in UK and Australia. A new fast-track policy process was developed, allowing the Institution to respond to consultations with short turnaround times, thereby increasing engagement with policy makers.
A new fast-track policy process was developed, allowing the Institution to respond to consultations with short turnaround times, thereby increasing engagement with policy makers
Active engagement with the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC) has continued to benefit IChemE’s UK policy work. The NEPC operates as a hub for developing and disseminating engineering policy advice by working collaboratively with a cross section of 42 professional engineering institutions in the UK.
In a UK Government roundtable discussion held on sustainability education, IChemE recommended that the Department for Education (DfE) works with higher education institutions to enable the upskilling and reskilling of practising and future engineers to effectively perform roles that deliver sustainable solutions. IChemE Fellow Jarka Glassey represented IChemE at the roundtable held virtually in February as part of a consultation ahead of the publication of the Department’s strategy on sustainability and climate change education, launched in April.